AnimeNation Anime News Blog

The May issue of Hobby Japan magazine, which goes on sale in Japan this week, reportedly includes the announcement of a Queen’s Blade: Utsukushiki Toshi-tachi (Queen’s Blade: Beautiful Warriors) OVA. The popular Queen’s Blade role-playing game franchise spawned two anime television series last year.

I’ll be looking forward to this. The second Queen’s Blade TV series was significantly better than the first, so I’m eager to see if the trend continues.

Source: Anime News Network

The Moon Phase Diary reports that Yozakura Quartet creator Suzuhito Yasuda has announced that the ninth volume of the Yozakura Quartet manga will be released this October in a special edition that includes an anime OAD. Reportedly the cast from the 2008 TV anime will return, but the animation will be produced by an entirely new staff.

This year’s T-MODE anime and gaming convention in the Washington D.C. area is approaching rapidly. Guests including including voice actors Wendee Lee (Cowboy Bebop, The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya), Todd Haberkorn (D.Gray-Man, Claymore) and Cristina Vee (Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha); Japanamerica author Roland Kelts; “Mega Ran” musician Random; and webcomic artists Jessi and Matt Pascal will be in attendance at the April 16-18 convention.

Twitch, via a series of links, has secured the first official trailer for director Sylvain Chomet’s (Les triplettes de Belleville) upcoming film The Illusionist. The trailer’s text is in Russian, but that does nothing to hinder the trailer’s effectiveness. The movie opens theatrically in France on May 5th. It presently doesn’t have a U.S. distributor.

Gorgeous.

IESB reports that Lucasfilm is developing a new Star Wars animated television series titled “Star Wars: Galactic Heroes.” This new series is based on Hasbro’s line of Galactic Heroes super deformed figure toys. The animated series will target a primary audience of Pre-School to kindergarten aged children.

Okay, I recognize that Star Wars has always been a kids’ franchise, but did the Droids and Ewoks animated series teach us nothing?

The Hollywood Reporter reveals word that Warner Bros. “is in the process of securing the movie rights to” Tite Kubo’s supernatural action manga Bleach. Peter Segal, director of movies including Get Smart & Anger Management, would produce a prospective American Bleach motion picture in collaboration with his Callahan Filmworks co-executive Michael Ewing, and English language manga publisher Viz Media.

Warner Bros. has already secured American re-make rights to the Akira and Death Note manga series and Ninja Scroll (Jubei Ninpucho) anime franchise, although none of these projects have yet approached filming.

The Bleach manga launched in 2001 and has since spawned an ongoing 260+ episode TV series, three feature films, two OVAs, a stage musical, and numerous video games.

I was surprised by Warner picking up Death Note, which revolves around the Japanese concept of “shinigami.” I guess they’re aiming at two for two with Bleach. I can envision a live action Bleach movie being pretty cool if it was handled well.

Source: Anime News Network

Studio Ghibli has produced an original anime TV commercial commemorating the 110th anniversary of Japanese food and manufacturing conglomerate Nisshin Seifun Group. Goro Miyazaki (Gedo Senki) storyboarded the ad. Veteran Ghibli animation director & character designer Katsuya Kondo directed the short. “Konyara,” the cat that stars in the commercial, was based on an illustration drawn by veteran Ghibli film producer Toshio Suzuki.

Select the middle of the three navigation options on the website to access the trailer in 15 second and 30 second varieties viewable in embedded or full screen resolution.

Leave it to Ghibli to pack so much character and charm into so little animation.

Source: Anime News Network

The homepage for the upcoming Konchu Monogatari Mitsubachi Hutch ~Yuki no Melody~ (Insect Story Honeybee Hutch ~Melody of Courage~) feature film has added a streaming teaser trailer. Tatsunoko’s Honeybee Hutch starred in three television series in 1970, 1974, and 1989. This first theatrical film will open on July 31.

The art design and color design are both very nice in this trailer.

Source: Anime News Network

Toei Animation has launched a web page announcing the October 30 premiere of the first Heartcatch Precure theatrical film. The web page features a streaming teaser, but the preview trailer consists of only footage from the current television anime. The stars of Heartcatch Precure, Cure Blossom and Cure Marine, actually made their theatrical debut last week. They appear in the Precure All Stars DX 2: Kibou no Hikari — Rainbow Jewel o Mamore! (Precure All Stars DX 2: Light of Hope — Protect the Rainbow Jewel!) feature film that opened on Saturday.

Source: Anime News Network

The homepage for director Koji Masunari (Risky Safety, Kamichu) and A-1 Pictures’ upcoming sci-fi adventure movie Welcome to the Space Show now includes the film’s first theatrical trailer. The trailer button on the site’s main page defaults to playing the film’s earlier Berlin International Film Festival PV. Click the right-hand “trailer 1″ button to watch the new trailer. The movie will hit Japanese theaters this summer.

Source: Anime News Network

An official website has launched to announce the development of a Togainu no Chi (Blood of the Reprimanded Hound) anime television series based on the popular boy-love visual novel game from Nitro+chiral. The game story occurs in a post-apocalyptic Tokyo and stars a young man named Akira, falsely arrested an sentenced to life imprisonment for murder. Akira agrees to participate in a free-range battle game of life and death under the condition that he’ll be set free if he defeats the reigning champion.

The popular game has spun off a PS2 port, drama CDs, a manga adaptation (published in English by Tokyopop), collectible figures and various other character merchandise.

Source: Moon Phase

Although word of the Mari & Gali ver. 2.0 television series has been circulating for some time, Toei Animation finally officially confirmed the production of the second TV series last Friday. The 40th and final episode of current Mari & Gali educational gag anime will air in Japan this week. The first episode of the second series will premiere on the 30th. Marie & Gali ver. 2.0 will add a new female character named Norika to the cast.

Source: Anime News Network

Rumors have surfaced in Japan suggesting that author Kimura Shinichi’s adventure comedy light novel series Kore wa Zombie Desu ka? (Is This a Zombie?) will be getting an anime adaptation. The novel series premiered in January 2009. Its fifth volume goes on sale in Japan on May 20th. A manga adaptation launched in Dragon Age Magazine in January 2010.

Source: Moon Phase Diary

Lucky Star voice actor and co-star Minoru Shiraishi will host the “Lucky Racer” series of live action television shorts that pit him in cart races against other members of the Lucky Star anime staff and cast. Lucky Racer will air on Fridays at midnight on the BS11 broadcast satellite channel beginning April 2. Episodes will then be streamed through the Kadokawa Anime Channel on YouTube the following day.

Does this count as weird? I’m not even sure.

Source: Anime News Network

A live action feature film adaptation of Satoshi Karasuya’s autobiographical manga Onobori Monogatari will hit Japanese theaters on July 17. The 4-koma manga originally serialized from 2006 to 2008 details Karasuya’s move from rural Japan to Tokyo in his effort to become a professional manga artist. Yasutaka Mori (Pet Box, Dramatic-J) directs with Yoshio Inoue starring in his first leading role.

Source: Anime News Network